Install Ubuntu 14.04 alongside Windows 8.1 in 10 easy steps

Introduction

Those instructions have helped people install Ubuntu since 12.04 but now with the introduction of Ubuntu 14.04 and many Windows users upgrading to Windows 8.1 there are a few new challenges that have been brought to the table.

Over the weekend I have played around with dual booting Ubuntu 14.04 and Windows 8.1 and the following article highlights the steps that I took to get it to work.

Instead of using the “something else” option the new guide allows you to use the default install alongside Windows 8.1 option.

In essence I have found the Windows recovery tools to be flaky with regards to restoring from a system image. (especially if you move the recovery image around). For instance if you create a recovery image on an external hard drive and then copy it to another external hard drive or NAS drive there is no guarantee that Windows 8.1 will recognise it.

I have used Macrium Reflect for creating system images and restoring them (even after moving images around) and it works. The software is free to use as well although there is a paid for version for extra options.

Creating a UEFI bootable only Ubuntu USB drive ensures that Ubuntu is installed to a GPT partition. The Ubuntu installer therefore also recognises the existence of the Windows 8.1 partition. This enables you to choose the default option for installing alongside Windows 8.1

Using this method it appears that there is no longer a requirement to turn off secure boot.

I still had to manually set the Windows bootloader using BCDEdit.

Feel free to give the new guide a try or you can stick with the tried and trusted method below.

A review of Ubuntu 14.04

Before you start it might be worth reading the latest review of Ubuntu 14.04 to make sure dual booting with Windows 8.1 is something you want to do.

1. Back up Windows

There are two steps to backing up Windows:

Create a recovery drive for backing up Windows 8.1

Create a file history for backing up personal files

For the recovery drive you will need a USB flash drive with at least 16gb of space. Insert the USB drive into your computer. You should make sure that you have no data that you need to keep on the drive as it will be wiped during this process. If you don’t have a USB drive you can create recovery DVDs.

For the file history backup I would recommend using an external hard drive but it depends on how much data you have. If you don’t have much then a USB drive will do. If you have nothing else to hand you can backup to DVDs.

This guide assumes that you are using Windows 8.1 but most of the steps will be similar to Windows 8.

In my original guide I showed how to create recovery disks and a system image using the Windows 7 recovery tools.

In this guide I use the simpler Windows 8 recovery drive tool.

To create a recovery drive press the super key (Windows key) on your keyboard and then click on the magnifying glass in the top right corner.

Now start typing “Recovery”.

An option will appear called “Create a recovery drive”. Click this option. You will be asked if you are happy to give permissions for this application to run. The answer is yes you do.

A recovery drive lets you get Windows 8.1 back to a working state.

When the “Create a recovery drive” window appears click “Next” to continue.

Click the available USB drive to be used and click “Next”.

A message will appear confirming that you want to create the drive and you are warned again that all the data on the target drive will be deleted.

If you are happy that you don’t need anything on your recovery drive click “Create”.

It will take a few minutes for the drive to be created but eventually a screen will appear stating that the drive is ready.

Safely remove the drive, put it in a small plastic bag like a sandwich bag or in an envelope. Label the bag or envelope and place it somewhere very safe.

If something goes wrong either whilst installing Ubuntu or later on in time you will be grateful that you followed these steps.

Now insert the drive that you want to use for storing all your personal data.

To be honest you should do this whether you plan to continue installing Ubuntu or not.

Press the “super” key (Windows key) on your keyboard and then press the search icon in the top right corner.

A screen similar to the one above should appear. Click on the “Off” button to flick the switch to “On” for File History.

Click the link that says “Select a different drive”. Find the drive that you want to back up to and click “Back up now”.

After a while all your files will be backed up to the new drive.

Note that this application assumes that you store all of your files under your Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos and Desktop folder. If you don’t then I would recommend copying any file that that isn’t stored in these folders manually using Windows Explorer.

Follow the above link for pendrive Linux and scroll half way down the page until you see the “Download UUI” link. Click on the download link and wait for the program to download.

When the download has completed double click on the executable.

When the license agreement screen appears read it and then click “I Agree” if you accept the license.

Creating the drive is fairly straight forward.

The first thing to do is choose your distribution of choice, in this case Ubuntu, from the dropdown list.

Click on the “Browse” button. Find the downloaded Ubuntu ISO.

Select your chosen USB drive letter and make sure that the “We will format” option is checked.

At this point you can create the USB drive so that it persists data. This makes it possible to install software when using the live Ubuntu version and it will still be available the next time you boot from the USB drive.

Click “Create” to continue.

A summary screen will tell you what is about to happen.

Basically your USB drive is about to be completely wiped and Ubuntu is about to be installed as a live image to it.

If you are happy to continue click “Yes”.

You will now see a progress bar showing how far through the process the installer is and how long it is expected to last.

Feel free to get a comfort break, have a drink or boil and egg at this point.

3. Shrink your Windows partition

Windows takes up the whole of the drive when it is first installed. In order to install Ubuntu you will need to make space for it.

Press the “super key” (Windows key) on your keyboard and click the magnifying glass in the top right corner. In the search box start typing “Partitions”.

Click on the option called “Create and format partitions”. This will bring up the “Disk Management” screen.

To shrink the drive, right click on the “OS (C:)” volume and select “Shrink volume”.

A screen will appear showing how much you can shrink the drive by. You can of course choose to shrink the drive by less than offered but never go for any more than offered as you will break your Windows 8.1 operating system if you do.

Click “Shrink” to continue.

When you are finished you will see that there is a lot of unpartitioned space. This is where Ubuntu will be installed.

4. Turn off fast boot

To be able to boot to your Ubuntu USB drive you will need to turn off the fast boot option.

Press the “super” key (Windows key) and then click the magnifying glass in the top right corner.

When the “Control Panel” appears click on the “System and Security” heading.

Now click on “Power Options”.

On the following screen click on “Choose what the power button does”.

A screen will appear with the heading “Define power buttons and turn on password protection”.

Scroll down until you see “Shutdown Settings”.

An option should be available called “Turn on fast startup” (recommended).

Uncheck this option.

Click “Save Changes”.

5. Turn off secure boot

In theory you don’t need to do this any more. In practise it is almost certain that you will.

Turning off secure boot depends on the make and model of your computer as each one has slightly different methods for turning it off.

Basically though click on the “super” key (Windows key) and then click on the power icon next to your user name.

Hold down the shift key on your keyboard and select restart computer. Keep the shift key held down until your computer reboots.

You will now have an option to go into your UEFI boot settings.

Within the UEFI settings look for the option to turn off secure boot. You don’t have to switch to legacy mode and you shouldn’t switch to legacy mode as this will not help your cause.Save and exit the UEFI settings

6. Install Ubuntu

When you have turned off secure boot, save and reboot. You will probably end up back in Windows.

Now at this point to boot into Ubuntu on the USB drive I had to again hold down the shift key whilst rebooting the computer.

One of the options that appeared let me boot from the USB drive into Ubuntu 14.04 live and you should have a similar option available to you.

When you first boot into the live version of Ubuntu you will be presented with a screen similar to the one above. The only difference is that I have closed the window that shows all the keyboard shortcuts to make it easier to highlight the “Install Ubuntu 14.04 LTS” icon.To begin the installation double click on the “Install Ubuntu 14.04 LTS” icon.

The first thing you need to do is decide which language you would like to use.

Unless you feel like the challenge isn’t great enough I would choose the language that you would normally use.

Click “Next” to continue.

The next screen lets you choose which internet connection to use whilst installing Ubuntu.

I always opt for not wanting to connect and there is a good reason for that.

I live in the countryside and my internet connection is poor. I don’t want the installer failing half way through because the connection dropped.

I prefer to install the operating system and run updates as a separate task later on.

If you have a good broadband connection you may wish to connect to it now so that you download updates as you go. This will slow down the initial install but will save time later on as you won’t have to install lots of updates.

When you click “Next” you will be shown a tick list highlighting how prepared you are for installing Ubuntu.

As you can see I have 2 ticks because I have enough disk space and I am plugged into a power source. I chose not to connect to a network as this stage (hence the cross).

Click “Continue”.

In the past there used to be an option on the “Installation Type” screen to install alongside Windows.

If you are installing alongside Windows 7 on a non-EFI based system then you will still have that option.

Click on “Something Else” and click “Next”.

The next screen may look rather intimidating but it is just showing your current disk layout.

Be very careful with the next few steps.

If you haven’t taken that Windows backup, quit the installation, reboot and follow step 1 of this tutorial again.

Look at the image above. You will see a large portion of free space (710155 MB). This is where I put Ubuntu.

The free space is going to be split into 3.

The first partition is for Ubuntu and will be 50 Gigabytes in size.

The second partition is for your home partition and stores configuration files and your personal files such as music, pictures etc.

The third partition is for swap space and is used for intensive operations and suspending the computer.

When you have found the partition with free space, click on it and press the plus symbol (+) under the disk layout.

In the size box enter 50000, select logical as the partition type, select beginning of this space and choose EXT4 as the file system.For the mount point choose / (this means root).

Click “OK”.

The disk layout screen should now show a new partition for /.

Find the large section of free space again, click on it and press the plus symbol again (+).

This time you want to set the size to be the rest of the free disk space minus 2x the amount of memory in your computer.

If you have 8 gigabytes RAM, subtract 16 gigabytes.

Again choose “Logical” as the partition type, beginning of this space for where to put the partition and EXT4 as the file system.

For the mount point choose /home.

The issue of how much swap space to use is constantly up for debate. Some people say you don’t need any at all, some go for 1.5 times the amount of RAM and some say 2x.

Unless disk space is at a premium I would just go for the 2x and have done with it.

In theory if you are running lots of intensive processes such as video editing then the swap space is used to store memory that isn’t currently being used (swapped) to disk. This is disk intensive and slows down your computer but it will help to prevent a crash. Swap space is also used for suspending your computer.

Now find the free disk space again, click on it and press the plus symbol. (+).

Leave the size as the rest of the free disk space, choose logical as the file system and beginning of this space as the location.

Choose “swap area” as the mount point.

The final thing to concern yourself with when partitioning is where to install the boot loader.

By default it is set to /dev/SDA on the “Installation Type” screen. This can be changed but unless you are using multiple disks you should leave this well alone.

Press “Install Now” to continue.

The installation has now begun but whilst it is taking place you are asked a few configuration type questions.

First of all choose your location by clicking on the map.

Press “Continue”.

The next screen asks you to choose your keyboard layout.

Simply choose the correct one for you and press “Continue”.

You will now be required to create a default user.

Enter your name, a name to identify your computer, a username and a password.

You can also choose whether to log in automatically or require a password each time.

A progress bar will now show you how far through the installation you are.

You can also view a selection of messages telling you all about Ubuntu.

At this point you can take another comfort break and depending on your computer’s speed you will either have time to boil an egg or wash your car.

At the end of the process you will be asked whether you want to reboot to start using Ubuntu or to continue using the live version.

When I rebooted it went straight back into Windows and I had to reboot back into the live session anyway. So at this point you can either take my word for it and stay in the live session or you can reboot and see if the installation has worked without any further steps required.

7. Boot Repair

I am going to assume that you chose to restart now and your computer booted straight into Windows without giving the option for Ubuntu.

Log into Windows and click the power icon next to your username in the top right corner.

Hold down the shift key and select to restart your computer. Keep the shift key held down until your computer reboots.

At the point of the UEFI settings appearing choose to boot from USB again.

You will now be booted back into the live session of Ubuntu.

Click on the network icon in the top right corner and choose your network connection. You will probably need to enter the security key. (If not then when you have finished with this process consider checking your router settings because your internet connection is wide open).

Now open up a terminal by pressing the “super” key (Windows key) and typing “term”.

Click on the “Recommended repair”.When I did this I received a message stating “EFI is detected”. This is just an informational message as far as I am concerned because it is perfectly fine to install Ubuntu with EFI turned on.After clicking “OK” to the EFI detected message the utility performed a few tasks and then asked me to select some text and run it in a terminal window.

If you are asked to do this open a new terminal window (press the “super” key, enter “term” into the Dash and click on the icon that appears).

Copy the text from the boot repair window by selecting it with the mouse. Press CTRL and C and then right click in the terminal window and select paste.

Make sure all the commands have run correctly. You may need to press return to get the last command to run.

Now click on the “Forward” button within the boot repair application. You may be asked to copy and paste more text.

Repeat the process of selecting all the text, press CTRL and C and then right click in the terminal window and select paste.

Make sure the commands run.

Keep following through on the process until the boot repair finishes.

If you are like me then at the very end of the process you will see a message stating that boot repair completed with errors. (not good). It is worth copying the link and posting to pastebin as suggested but I think you can just continue onto the next step.

8. Fix the boot loader

Almost there now.

Reboot your computer.

Unless you are lucky it will still boot straight into Windows and actually this is ok because we are going to use Windows to fix the boot loader.

Log into Windows and make sure you are viewing the desktop and not the tiles screen.

Hover the mouse in the bottom left corner and right click. You should see an option for the administrator’s command prompt. Click on this option.

357 Comments

My experience with setting up UEFI multi-boot on a number of different systems has been that the UEFI firmware implementation varies significantly between different OEMs. The details of what is necessary, or what even works or doesn't, depend very much on what system you are using – and you don't even provide that information in this post. What kind of computer was it?

Most UEFI implementations are getting to be pretty flexible and pretty stable now, and the radical procedure you suggest of replacing the Windows bootloader with Ubuntu's GRUB in the UEFI configuration is not necessary.

– Many systems today will simply boot Linux correctly after it is installed on a UEFI firmware system, so nothing special is necessary.– Some systems have a UEFI Boot Priority list in the BIOS setup, and all you have to do is go there and move the Linux/GRUB item to the top of the listIf neither of the above work, you can use the Linux efibootmgr command to set the boot priority, and put Linux first– If and only if all else fails, you can resort to the Boot Repair tool and bcdedit.

The original procedure described by Ubuntu, which you quoted, was a useful workaround when it first came out. But it has become outdated and unnecessary on all but the most stubborn (broken) UEFI systems.

On the computer I was using which was a Dell Inspiron (sorry model number escapes me right now) the firmware system would let me select to boot windows or ubuntu but would basically always revert back to Windows.

The efibootmgr didn't really work either.

Hence the boot repair and bcdedit.

I would imagine that not everyone is going to have computers with the latest UEFI and many will be stuck with stubborn systems as you put it and this guide may help them in that case.

Gary, I would have preferred if you had described how to dual-boot Debian, or, even better, Fedora, with Win 8. Both of these great distributions (there or others) are backed by people who have contributed mightily to making Linux what it is. Ubuntu, on the other hand, are a band of parasitic "popularisers", eager to "make a buck" from the work of others, while contributing next-to-nothing.

Suggestion: in my case i have already created previous windows partitions and i was not able to see unallocated space as free space and i can only see entire disk as a one item during ubuntu installation.

I used 3rd party software to convert my disk from dynamic to basic from windows. Later i was able to see my other partition and my unallocated space as a free space and able to proceed the space.

boot up cdrom with gparted, change type of hard disk from dynamic to plain ordinary msdos and master boot record as grub. ( who needs more than 2TB ? as machine comes with 500mb)install windows 8.1 and ensure activation. update windows 8.1backup windows 8.1 using clonezilla( free and a wonderful program, (having used paragon, easeus and go knows how many other non-free programs )Now install 13.10 ubuntu remix SECURE, THIS IS BECAUSE SECURE ALLOWS YOU TO REPAIR MBR AND DELETE AN OPERATING SYSTEM.bootup and update ubuntu 13.10.update 13.10 to 14.04.update 14.04 to 14.10backup your dual boot with clonezillayou can now keep both operating sytems or get rid of either in 5 minutes.dont forget to reclaim the empty unused space if you delete either, use gparted for this, and just check the partitions with gparted.and all this before lunchtime.well allright yout warranty for the machine is probably invalid.this is how OAP'S spend their morning.

I don't suggest this dual boot using the same HHD. It's prone for disaster. Maybe for the more experienced – But hey aren't we all.

BOOT REPAIR!!! That is the hell you will live.

I have seen so many people do the dual boot and cry blood when one of the systems crashes. Or an error that is beyond their experiences. So much time can be wasted doing this.

If you want to Linux and Windows at the same time – run a Virtual Box. Much easier and yes there are some system limitations, then get a dedicated HHD and do the right thing.

Installer beware! this is can cause your day either to be GREAT or you will rack your head against the wall looking for help online, which I should mention, the community for the Ubuntu user beats windows any-day!

Personally I would recommend separate computers than dual booting or if you want to use Ubuntu give up Windows completely. There are lots of people who like the dual boot thing and virtual machines aren't a complete win win solution as you have to use resources from the host to run the virtual machine in the first place.

One of the options I think I would like to try is using my secondary SATA controller on the motherboard. My motherboard has one Intel controller and one Marvell controller. If I set the Marvell controller to RAID, and then install Ubuntu in a RAID0 configuration using its built in FakeRAID drivers (mdadm), you can be assured that Windows will never see it, because one, Windows does not have Marvell raid drivers by default and two, Windows would not understand EXT4, especially in a stripe config. It would probably, and hopefully, be completely ignored. And if it does recognize it and automatically install drivers for it, just go into the WIndows disk management and remove the drive letter, or letters for it. Then just set the motherboard bios to boot the Marvell raid array which will house the GRUB, and make the necessary changes in windows bcd and grub. Not sure if this can be done but with a Motherboard with a secondary SATA controller it sure makes me want to try, just out of sheer curiosity…

ASUS must have a pretty standard implementation. I've got an N56JR-EH71 Asus laptop with Windows 8.1. I repurposed my 500+GB "data" partition that windows gave me to / 50GB, /home 100GB, and 400 GB+ of FAT32 for sharing files easily across OSs. I left secure boot on in the bios, but disabled the other options. Other than disabling secure boot, I followed the remainder of the instructions. I did not wait to try to reboot into windows. I installed boot-repair and followed all the pasting instructions, as well. I did receive an error pastebin, but the only concern that it seems to raise was a GRUB2 versioning problem.

I rebooted a few times, testing boot into windows and into linux. It all worked like a charm. I did not have to run the windows bcdedit step. It all worked upon my first reboot after installation.

So, your mileage may vary. I would change the instructions to run boot-repair just after installing ubuntu but before rebooting. You're already in the livedvd or usb environment, why reset it? The installer is smart enough to flush the partition tables and update the information, and boot-repair has no trouble finding the efi boot entries.

Gary, forget about the naysayers. You have written an excellent thorough article on how to do something that many people are hunting an answer for. And, as you stated throughout, this process may not suite every system, but this is more information on this topic than most places I've seen on the web and is a good place to start regardless of the system you're using. Great job.

I have been an ubuntu user for 99% of the past 6 years. When I bought I new machine I had few jitters on installing ubuntu. Thanks to your tutorial I knew exactly what to expect and what resources to locate for this process. I truly appreciate your efforts.

Thanks so much for this its really i want it … Could u also describe that after this i want to uninstall ubuntu alongside with windows 8.1 Then i want to use just windows 8.1 then what else next with booting for just win 8.1 ???

I would also like to give you a big thank you for the article! I don't understand that much of computers, but since I wasn't really happy with windows 8.1, I thought I might try ubuntu, but without touching the windows installation, in case I wouldn't like ubuntu either. And this article just showed me how to do it, and it worked without any problems!

Just one thing: Although, as I said, I don't know that much about computers, I still like to have an idea of what I am doing. This was really well described in the beginning of the article, but in the end (when it started with the command prompts), the only option was to trust you completely and copy letter by letter what you wrote. I know that going into details would probably go beyond the scope of this matter, but I imagine that it would still be possible to give an idea of what is done, like the changing of the bootloader. I did it the way you described it, and it worked well, but after reading the comments, I am now worried if there wouldn't have been a somewhat better way (which would imply less changes, for instance) and how I could ever undo the changes I did (for whichever reason there might be).

Thank you very much for this useful walkthrough! I also have a Dell Inspiron and would like to install Ubuntu 14.04 alongside Windows, but the Live USB won't recognize Windows 8.1's partition. Is it safe to proceed with the installation selecting "Something else"? I can see from the snapshot at step 6 that yours was not recognized either, but I just want to make sure I won't mess up with Windows. Thanks again! 🙂

The main advice I would give is to make sure you have followed step 1 which is to create backup and recovery media. If you do that then you always have an easy fallback.

I can confirm that the Windows partition wasn't displayed and as long as you only use the unpartitioned space (the bit you freed up when shrinking the disk) then your windows partition will be left alone and Windows won't be messed up.

Thanks for the reply.. Yes I have disabled the secure boot in the BIOS. Also I was able to do the bcedit part (Step 8) and it got updated successfully. When I reboot, its still going in to Windows without the grub. No clue !!Any idea how to bring up the grub ?First time when I completed the process, it didn't work. I noticed that I have created the partitions with primary instead of logical. So, I erased the partition in windows. And I did redo of everything again. But still no luck !!——-The second command to bring up the boot repair is lengthier and it is not fully visible in the post. But when I copy it got copied fully. Just thought of informing.

Thanks Gary ! Before I saw your reply, I was just exploring options in my laptop (Toshiba Satellite S50 – intel i5) , and finally it worked . :-D. .This is what I did :1: Go to – Change PC Settings – Update and Recovery – Advance Options – Restart Now – Troubleshoot – UEFI firmware Settings – Restart Now2: This will restart your system and it will take you to the BIOS setup.3: Secure boot was already disabled. So I tried to change the Boot mode under System Configuration menu – from UEFI to CEF (Legacy mode). Save and Exit.4: The system restarted and I got the error message that "Insert Boot device". Even Windows did not boot. (I got panicked and gave the shock of my life). 5. But immediately I restarted again and I kept pressing F2 Key. And the BIOS setup appeared and I was happy.. Changed the Boot mode back to UEFI. Saved and restarted again.6. And this time.. Bingo !!! the grub menu appeared to my surprise..with the options Ubuntu and Windows Boot Manager to choose.7. I was able to login to both Ubuntu and Windows. 🙂

I connected the hdmi cable with youtube in Firefox. But only the wallpaper was visible on the TV. Also the right click menu, alt tab window, etc was also visible. But the side menu and the Firefox window was not visible. The cursor/pointer was visible on the tv and the touchpad was working, I was able to move the pointer.

After I removed the HDMI cable, my cursor/pointer disappeared and my touchpad is not responding! ! I tried to restart many times, but still no luck. Its still not visible in the desktop. The pointer is visible in the login screen, but is not responding to the touchpad.

I tried to login to my KDE session, there too the cursor/pointer is visible but is not responding to the touchpad. It is not moving.

I then tried to connect the bootable usb linux , but in that too the cursor was invisible. So I doubt reinstalling ubuntu will help.

Is there any fix available for this or should I remove ubuntu entirely ? 🙂 Kindly help if possible..

I am Facing Same Problem.. I'm installed both Ubuntu 14.04 and windows 8.1.. when i m starting it'll directly enters into windows .I try Your Steps and i also try EasyBCD s/w and i m entering certain cmds in cmd( bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path EFIubuntugrubx64.efi) but it makes failure… is there any way to manage windows boot settings….

Very important article to me, thank you!I would suggest to improve it giving more information on the porpoise of some steps like:– why do you need to disable secure boot?– what is going to do the command bcdedit?What I mean is to give a reason to some of the tasks.Thank you again, Andrea

I just started using Linux in college for C programming, so I decided to go ahead and install it on my laptop along with Windows 8.1

I was able to get through till the part when I create a USB with the Ubuntu image, using the Universal USB, but when I boot it, I press escape to go to "Boot from USB", then I have to open the pen drive and open a folder to boot the OS from. I tried "grubX64.efi", but then I get a command prompt sort of thing, and I have no clue how to proceed after that.Can you please help me out at this point?

Gary…I've tried several different ways to do this and haven't been successful on my Acer Aspire S7-191. I was ok with your way (a couple of different results but still with you) until the line: sudo sh -c "sed -i 's/trusty/saucy/g' /etc/apt/sources.list.d/yannubuntu-boot-repairI got a single ">" prompt. I even decided that this might be right and so I continued to type the following lines like a blind squirrel…to no avail. I thought that this might have been a typo and that someone else would have caught it in the comments…but alas…no. I tried putting the double quote at the end (where it looks like there is a space) but it couldn't find the file. I then tried it before the file name and again it barfed big chunks. So….what up?

Dear Gary,thank you a lot for your useful tutorial: I'm from Italy, using an Inspiron 15r 5537 and unfortunately no one here (I mean italian-speaking internet) knows properly how to turn it into a dual boot kickassing machine…But I'm sorry to observe that even this guide doesn't work with my lap ;(In detalis (and without taking notice of the AMD Radeon issues with Ubuntu live…):

1) I've followed steps 1-7 without problems, but I noticed a difference in my boot-repair process: before "the very end of the process" (that, yes, also to me shows "a message stating that boot repair completed with errors"), it opens a window in which is written "WinEFI detected. Do you want to activate [Backup and rename Windows EFI files]?" with a No/Yes choice. After reading this: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2195025&p=12880914#post12880914 , I chose Yes.2) I've followed step 8 without problems, but after the reboot no grub appears: Windows restarts placidly as if I've done nothing. I've also tried the solution suggested here by Subin Raju (17 May 2014 01:26), but I'm not lucky the same: grub still lies under the overwhelming Win 8.1.

Fixed, but I dunno how:I've used easyuefi as you suggest, but it can't find the Ubuntu partition.So I tried to restart from step 7 in order to click "no" to that window and see… but there is no window this time, and magically grub reappears (without typing the command line in Windows as in step 8). Who the hell knows!BTW I've temporary fixed the AMD Radeon issue by installing Gnome and setting GDM as the display manager.

Many thanks for this! I guess that I am lucky with my particular laptop, a Lenovo Z710. I did not disable the Secure Boot as in step 5, from a USB stick installed Ubuntu 14.04 in the space freed up in Windows 8.1, and once it had completed the installation, allowed it to reboot. And there it was: Ubuntu / Grub with the option to load the Windows boot loader. Dual boots between the two without any further work. And the One Key recovery (something specific to Lenovo, also used to access the BIOS and boot options) still works without issue too. Brilliant!

Thank You! I was following the instructions step by step, and at step 7 you assumed that people would reboot. I wish I would have because when I did reboot to get to Windows and follow the rest of the instrucctions, I noticed my dual-boot was working already. Everything works fine. Toshiba Satellite C55t. Even the touch screen works with Ubuntu. Thanks again as I would have completely screwed it up without your guide.

Thanks for the article, very helpful and well written. Unfortunately, my dual-boot doesn't work as you describe. I followed your instructions closely, except that I live booted from a DVD. Now i have both Windows and Ubuntu installed, but in order to use Ubuntu, I need to press escape when I turn the computer on, and then choose boot options, then select Ubuntu, and only then do I see the four options you describe above. Do you have any tips about how I could make the computer go straight to the options screen when I switch it on?

If you created a recovery drive you just need to plug the recovery drive in and boot from it. There are then various options for reinstalling or repairing windows and in worst case scenario restoring from the system image you created

Thanks for the article. Luckily on the new Hp Pavilion machine, I can easily install Ubuntu 14.04 alongside pre installed windows 8.1 without any disabling of secure boot or uefi. I decided to follow the advice here (http://askubuntu.com/questions/221835/installing-ubuntu-on-a-pre-installed-windows-8-64-bit-system-uefi-supported) and attempted to just go ahead with the install with both secure boot and uefi enabled. But your post provided some very important info on creating partitions etc. Plus it gave a very clear understanding of the mechanics of why things are they way they are with dual boot these days, and what to do if something goes wrong. Thanks for putting in the time to get this together.

I have been using Ubuntu/Linux for about 8 years now as a duel boot on any computer I care about/need. I have to say. I was at a crossroad with my new Toshiba laptop. And ready to call it quits. until I found this! Now I can go through the necessary growing pains of familiarizing myself with Windows 8 while also enjoying Ubuntu 14.04.

Thank you for writing this blog entry. I followed your procedure as carefully as I could, but it ended in disaster. I write this detailed reply to warn others of what might happen, to describe what ultimately worked for me, and to provide some well-intentioned suggestions for how your blog entry can be improved. If everyone has as much trouble as I did installing Ubuntu alongside Windows 8, it certainly won't bode well for Ubuntu.

First of all, let me describe my setup. I have an HP 400-224 PC with 1 TB disk space and 6 GB RAM, running Windows 8.1. I also have an external 1 TB disk. My original plan was to use the external drive as a backup for Windows, and as the Ubuntu system disk. That way, I thought, I could boot Ubuntu from any of my PCs. However, after reading your stern warning to leave the device for the boot loader to be sda, I decided it would be better to partition the internal drive and install Ubuntu there.

I dutifully followed your advice to create a set of System Repair DVDs, I also went a step further by creating a system image on my external drive, so that I wouldn't have to reload all the Windows updates and other software I needed. I had obtained a Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Desktop 64-bit DVD from OSDisc.com, and used it instead of the bootable USB drive obtained from Step 2. After installing Ubuntu, I rebooted, and Windows 8 came up. I then ran Boot Repair exactly as you described, and later bcdedit. Your procedure calls for setting {bootmgr} to EFIubuntugrubx64.efi, but I saw no evidence that this file existed. Everything else in your procedure seemed to work perfectly, so I relied on blind faith and made the change.

When I restarted, I got the message, “No boot device found. Please insert a boot disk and restart.” At this point I had no idea what to do, other than perform a complete reinstall of Windows 8 from my System Repair disks. Furthermore, the system image I created wouldn't reload because the size of the image no longer matched the size of my recreated hard drive. So I had to go through the painful procedure of installing all the Windows 8 updates, printer drivers and other necessary software (Office, Java, Flash, Acrobat Reader, etc., etc.)

Now here's what worked for me. I left the internal hard drive alone and shrank the size of the external drive partition. I didn't change anything regarding the boot order, secure boot or fast boot. I ignored your admonition and set the Ubuntu boot device to be sdb. I installed Ubuntu 14.04 LTS on the external drive and rebooted. Grub64 came up and allowed me to select which OS to boot. When I defaulted, Ubuntu came up. If I select Windows, then that comes up. When I disconnect the external drive, only Windows comes up. Everything works perfectly.

Finally, here are a few suggestions to improve your blog entry:1. Insert a recommendation to invest in a second hard drive (either internal or external) for Ubuntu. It will make life a lot easier.2. Say it's OK to change the boot device to a second drive, if you have one.3. Please comment on what the “Type of partition” (primary or logical) means, and why you would want to choose one over the other.4. In step 7, please elaborate on what you mean by “choose to boot from the USB again.” I think this is where I went wrong. When I booted from my Ubuntu Desktop DVD, I got two choices: “Try Ubuntu” and “Install Ubuntu.” Since I had already installed Ubuntu, I chose “Try Ubuntu.” Then when I thought I was running Disk Repair on my Ubuntu installation, I was actually running it in a sandbox created for the purpose of “Trying Ubuntu.”5. Provide ways that a user can verify that the new bootmgr (grub64.efi) actually exists, before committing to using it.6. Describe a way for someone to return {bootmgr} to its original state, short of reinstalling the entire system from scratch.

Manny, as long as the pen drive is large enough for everything you need. But I should warn you that own drives are pretty easily broken by "accidents" (not fun to have it in your clothes pocket and get it washed).

If you feel adventurous, you can have a pen drive dedicated to booting up GRUB for wherever your OSes lie. Using the pen drive for booting AND a removable drive for another OS would require GRUB to locate by UUIDs of partitions, besides the fact of either having all OSes (& pen) plugged in or adding boot entries manually for all those OSes (not easy))

Hi, I have gone through all steps, and now the pc boots directly into ubuntu, and I can t boot into windows anymore. I dont know theoretically what is the "concept" of what I have done, so I dont know even where to start looking for a solution!Could anyone help me?Thxs

The first time I completed the tutorial I thought it was not working and I reinstalled Ubuntu. But when I díd that I choose something like "erase Ubuntu and reisntall" (I thought it was going to be at the same partition that Ubuntu has been installed in first place) But it formated all the hd. I have the back up and the recovery so I reinstalled Windows followed the tutorial again and by now it's working fine! Thank you very much. Í learned a lot through the process!

Can I use the recovery drive to install Windows 8.1 again after deleting it? Say, I chose to replace Windows with Ubuntu, but then realized that I needed Windows (I don't really want to but warranty issues). Thanks!

Yes you can. In the past they would have given you a physical DVD to boot from and if you wanted to you could restore from DVD as many times as you wanted. Now the onus is on you to create that physical DVD/external drive etc.

Hi, Gary. I've had a lot of trouble with this. I'm using an HP Envy touch with Windows 8.1 installed, and I followed your instructions to the letter. The only problem is when you say

"When I rebooted it went straight back into Windows and I had to reboot back into the live session anyway. So at this point you can either take my word for it and stay in the live session or you can reboot and see if the installation has worked without any further steps required."

When I reached that point, it simply opened up the screen saying "Try Linux before installing it" yada yada yada. Then, I went through the whole boot repair thing, as you said. I still don't get a screen allowing me to choose what OS I want to start. Also, every time I plug in the thumb drive I the whole thing starts again. I feel like I'm walking in circles. Could you please help?

Thank you very much for the help. I have a Toshiba laptop and it is the second time windows 8 updates something which destroy my dual boot. I tried boot-repair, supergrub2. I tried to reinstall ubuntu, then I did a new install but nothing worked and I kept booting directly in windows. Your last windows command did the trick.

Even I also got this same error as stated by Mr.Luis.. Sir, i am also using the same model laptop of yours(DELL Inspiron 15). I followed all the instructions without skipping but now i am not able to getting into Ubuntu bt it stays in Windows 8 itself, whenever i reboot.. kindly find a solution sir.. thank you..

found that if i use the windows reinstall partition during post, i can "use a device" and boot my kubuntu partition as though it was a usb. So yay, the computer can see both windows and kubuntu, and i have a kludge method for booting into either… its just a very inefficient bootloader… 🙁 grub! where for art thou!

Hello,That worked wonderfully well. I installed ubuntu for one of my friends suggested its good for programming "as I would see later". I however, want to ask one thing. I have my musics and files on d drive in windows now can I somehow merge my d drive to the partition I created to save file for Ubuntu? If yes, how?

ubuntu can access any files on your windows partition, you just have to "mount" the windows partition. The easy way is to assign it a mount point when you installed ubuntu, but you can also make it automount from within ubuntu.

Hi Gary. You are a STAR. Don't let anyone tell you any different. Thanks. Has worked a treat.Bit of messing and confusion but that's to be expected as there are so many different computer makes and types. A great general users guide. Only one I could find that made any sense. Thanks again. Keep up the good work.Rob

Thanks man instructions worked perfectly. Although had a bit of trouble with boot repair it kept changing grub to shim64x which didnt work. Went into settings on boot repair and unticked the 'secure boot' option and it installled grub normally. Been a while since ive used linux. Thankyou

if i turn off the UEFI and insert my bootable LINUX CD/USB. will it work both without any problem?? i mean if i make my ubuntu non UEFI and my window with UEFI. isn't it problem while making dualBoot???? thanks

Hello sir, at step 7 when i rebooted…my pc did not boot from windows. This booted from ubuntu.Now i am unable to boot from windows.Please suggest any solution. I am waiting for solution.Thanks in anticipation

Thank you for this article. It made it possible to dual boot kubuntu 14.04 LTS with windows 8.1 on a HP Pavilion 15 Notebook PC. It is my wife's computer. Although myself I always remove ( since 1996) windows completely from my machines (once I paid the MS tribute), she keeps keeping it. However, she probably never uses it or very very rarely in any case. But always keep it in a corner.

I discovered your article once I had already installed Kubuntu but was unable to boot into it. I followed the steps that you suggest in order to repair the grub and voila! It works on the HP machine too.

Thank you for this whole article. Quite frankly, Windows 8 makes me want to dig up Steve Jobs, steal his femur, and beat Bill Gates to death with it. I know this would be a senseless act of aggression, though; as probably even he uses a Mac since this stink-bomb of an OS was released. I've used Ubuntu since 8.04, and have dual booted every single computer I've ever owned from Windows 98 up to Windows 7. I have NEVER had a problem. Not even with Vista, and I thought I'd go spare with that OS! Boy, if only I had done the research before hand, I'd have built a new laptop. I'd have a better machine, and a dual boot XP/Ubuntu.

Puke to you Windows 8! I hate your stinking guts.

Wait…That wasn't very positive, was it? I did say thank you for this article right? Well, at least that part was polite. ~|:

Thanks for great walkthrough.I installed LinuxMint 17 and followed your article till point 6, although it was even easier and didn't even have to choose partition. Booting was automatic and didn't have to fiddle with that.Older Lenovo SL500 WIN 8.1 installation worked like a charm but new HP notebook refuses to install any Linux versions no matter what I do.

There are some WIN 8 haters around but I think it is working very well and fast, and is still my # 1 OS. XP is so yesterday.

I have a Sony Vaio F14212 with Windows 8 pre-installed (64 bit). Later, I upgraded to Windows 8.1. I installed Ubuntu 14.04 along with Windows 8.1 in dual boot. Unfortunately, I deleted Ubuntu drive from hard disk. Later i deleted swap and root drives with home drive.

Now when i tried to install Ubuntu 14.04 again, the USB is not booting. I tried all options from boot menu but still it is not working. When i am booting from USB, it is showing an error:

Gary, thank you for providing these instructions. They are the most useful I have found for setting up a dual boot system with Windows 8.1. I am dual booting Windows 8.1 with Ubuntu 14.04 on a Dell Inspiron 15R. I can follow all of your instructions until I go to edit the BCD so I can have the Windows Boot option in the Grub2 menu. When I run the bcdedit command in the Command Prompt (Admin), I get the following message:

"The boot configuration data store could not be opened. The system cannot find the file specified."

I cloned my computer fresh out of the box before I began, and the first time I set up the dual boot, Windows was in the grub, and then disappeared when I edited the grub trying to make Windows the grub default. Then, when I tried to get Windows back in using sudo update-grub, the grub menu started to come up as a blank, black window before booting into Ubuntu. Since I had no luck restoring the grub at all, I scrapped everything and started over by using the image to restore the computer back to factory defaults. Since then, anytime I install Ubuntu and run the boot-repair, the Windows boot is missing from the grub.

If you can provide me any insight how to get around this and get Windows in the grub, I would appreciate it.

I upgraded from windows 8 to windows 8.1 and it was auto-booting into windows, the end of your tutorial worked perfectly for me. I am, however, having another problem. Every time I boot into ubuntu, the next time I shut down then turn my computer back on it auto boots into windows, does anyone know why?

Hey Gary, I'm trying to get Linux because I need to program in Ruby using Rails and was told the command line is the best on Linux.I'm terrified I'm going to mess up my new self-built PC though.I'm trying to back up the OS as suggested and bought a 32GB stick just for this… Yet, when I do the create recovery, there is no recovery partition on my drive to copy leaving only a 256MB requirement.Did I do something wrong when first installing my 8.1 onto my computer? Or can this recovery partition still be made?

Also, I have a macbook that I never use anymore, would you recommend installing Linux onto it instead of my PC? I'm not sure if it's a more difficult process or if it'd work okay or anything. I feel terribly unknowledgable on the subject and my research just leaves me confused.

In the boot repair section,the recommended repair isint working. I tried it couple of times just to be sure. It always gives the bootlog and asks me to mail it to boot.repair@gmail.com.I have a HP envy dv6 laptop. Please help.

Hello, thanks for the great tutorial but I have a problem… I have an Inspiron too, and after entering the code on the command prompt (win) and rebooting, the notebook doesnt recognize any booting device… Any idea?

Hello, I am going to try out this guide today. I have spent the last 4 days trying to get both 14.04 LTS and my Windows 8.1 dual boot setup working. Both must be installed on my Intel FakeRAID BIOS setup. I do not know exactly why but Boot-Repair is not working properly after installing Windows, and I tried EASYBCD from within windows but it completely destroyed a fresh Windows install. So, right now I have a fresh install of Ubuntu 14.04 already working brilliantly in FakeRAID. I have an unallocated space of 190gb for Windows that I need to get it installed onto soon. I tried using gparted from within the live session but Windows 8.1 refuses to use it unless I let windows create the partition itself. So, right now I have Ubuntu installed and I do NOT have Windows installed.

Can you suggest where in your guide I should start from, and if it will work with fakeraid using dmraid? Thank you

Hello. I'm having some problems. I got a Inspiron 15R SE (or 7520). It got some intel technology and a 32gb SSD card along with the 1TB hard drive.I did all steps you said. However, when I come to the "installation type" on ubuntu, nothing appears in the box. it is completely blank! you have any idea why that happens? could be a problem recognizing the ssd or the intel stuff?

Thanks for the reply sir. I never found those articles.Its late here over now, tomorrow morning I'm going to try to delete those RAID files (even not knowing what that means lol)That command wont do anothing to the windows, right?

It should be marginally easier. You already have the system booting from GRUB. You might get away with booting the third operating system (for instance Kubuntu) and then using the install alongside option. Not something I have tried but that is what I would expect to happen. Again take good backups first. It might be worth setting the partitions up yourself to make sure you are installing to the right place and not overwriting Windows

I'm new to the whole linux stuff so really don't know the GRUB part. But say I'm in the mood for some gaming (yeah lets call it 'gaming') and I wanna install backtrack with ubuntu and win8. Is that possible the same way or is there any acrobats I gotta do for that

Hi Gary, I followed your instructions but when I got to the last stage where I used the usb installer to upload the iso file from my usb, it tells me two things: first, download is complete and then a message follows which says could not retrieve the iso file from archive. It is confusing because I am getting these two messages same time and it takes about 10 seconds for these two to show up….I'm I doing anything wrong? Also on the UEFI, I turned off only the secured boot but did not disable the fast boot. Another instance, I disabled both but still not working…Last, prior to this, I had attempted previous installations with linux and unetbooting and it seems their boot loaders persist on the windows even though I deleted/uninstalled them from "programs"…could these boot loaders be the reason? I am trying to take them off but it seems I am lost from some of the help I got on creating a recovery cd to restore the original settings in order to get rid of the boot loaders of the previous downloads….please let me know what you think about this…thanks a lot…

Hi Gary, I followed your instructions but when I got to the last stage where I used the usb installer to upload the iso file from my usb, it tells me two things: first, download is complete and then a message follows which says could not retrieve the iso file from archive. It is confusing because I am getting these two messages same time and it takes about 10 seconds for these two to show up….I'm I doing anything wrong? Also on the UEFI, I turned off only the secured boot but did not disable the fast boot. Another instance, I disabled both but still not working…Last, prior to this, I had attempted previous installations with linux and unetbooting and it seems their boot loaders persist on the windows even though I deleted/uninstalled them from "programs"…could these boot loaders be the reason? I am trying to take them off but it seems I am lost from some of the help I got on creating a recovery cd to restore the original settings in order to get rid of the boot loaders of the previous downloads….please let me know what you think about this…thanks a lot…

Hello, you're great! The article really helped me go through all the steps and install Ubuntu 14.04 alongside windows 8.1.BUT, when I boot Ubuntu, it shows a message:"The system is running in low-graphics mode. Your screen graphics card and input device settings could not be detected correctly. You will need to configure these yourself".

I searched about this error and I followed the instructions but none of these work because I get errors such as "could not resolve 'security.ubuntu.com' or failed to fetch http://….(probably I am not connected on the internet?)I have to note that this is the first time I install Linux. Before that,I had only windows 8.1.Thanks in advance 🙂

I just purchased HP Envy 15 notebook with Windows 8.1 64 and Intel i7-4710HQ Quad Core Processor + Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600. I went through your steps 1 through 6 and then into step 9. I can boot either into Windows or into Ubuntu. I didn't have to do step 7 (Boot Repair) or step 8 (Fix the Boot Loader).

Maybe the wrong forum on the display problem but want to talk about it, maybe more people have the same problem with Nvidia GTX Titan.

For me it was a "striped screen" if I use DisplayPort.

With HDML became the first black screen when I look at the Try Ubuntu but if I clicked on Install became the black a little while ago, it worked as it should.

After it finished installing I only got the choice to reboot but it worked right away. The boot straight into Ubuntu. Tried turn off the computer and start again. In the beginning, I get an Ubuntu screen where I can choose to start Windows (or Ubuntu).

Have I done wrong now? Can I abandon the step to fix the boot loader? I seem to actually want a bootloader already.

I apologize for any errors I write and if I have disturbed you. Have hard to read, write and understand after a stroke.

I tried the above suggestions for my Sony Vaio SVF 15319SNB.But I am not able to boot from the USB.From Assist when I select External Drive it shows "Your Vaio failed to start using media (USB device/Optical Disc)The following option(s) may resolve the error:Start using the media againStart BIOS setup"

Thanks Gary for your post. When I got into the "Install Ubuntu, click 'something else'" part, no matter what I did, Ubuntu kept showing my entire drive as one free space even though Windows was installed and I had performed the initial partitioning as instructed. Any advise would be appreciated.

Gary, thanks for the article, very helpful.My issue was while fixing the bootloader in Ubuntu it keeps saying I'm using legacy booting mode while I'm actually using UEFI. As a result the fix was never successful, so my workaround now is to re-install Ubuntu in legacy mode and change the boot option to legacy to use Ubuntu.Have you ever encountered this before?Many thanks!

Seems to me that their system booted the live DVD/USB in legacy mode. I think Ubuntu's community help area (accessible from help.ubuntu.com ) has a guide to convert from legacy to UEFI, but I don't know if it will work for 14.04

Hey Gary. Great post. You definitely provided some details that I didn't see in any other explanations of dual boot installs. I have a question about one of them.

Yours is the only install guide I've seen that recommends 3 partitions for Ubuntu. Usually it's only 2. One for the OS and one for the swap. My question is two parts.

One: why do you suggest 3 partitions? and

Two: If you are using 3, why does the / (root) partition for the OS need to be so big (50G)? I understand /home being large for all your data, and swap is standard based on DRAM. But I have seen install guides or help forums where others have said you need as little as 20G + swap, some even less I think.

The reason I ask is that I have installed (and uninstalled) Ubuntu 14.04 alongside Windows 8.1 successfully using both DVD and USB methods.. AND using that 1st "install alongside" option in the installer menu was available both times. When I chose it, and clicked through the rest of the install (it does not show the "disk layout" section/screen) Ubuntu only created 2 disk partitions. A huge root, basically the entire remaining drive space minus the second one, which was the swap.

A side note, I didn't have to do anything else after install. Meaning steps 7 and 8 were not needed for me. The installer completed and I was able to boot into both OS no problems. I think this has worked maybe because my CPU/MB supports both UEFI and BIOS. What do you think?

BTW I am still looking for the perfect dual boot. See what I posted here for more details:

1. Why 3 partitions? Well I generally like to split out the root and home as this makes it easier when upgrading although the upgrade tool has made this easier. If I mess up my root partition I can usually just install over the top again leaving the home partition alone. The 3rd partition is for swap and whilst there is some debate as to whether it is still required I would prefer to have it and not use it than not have it and have some process unceremoniously crash my machine because I ran out of memory

2. 50 gigabytes is quite high and probably a little too much but as disk space isn't a luxury anymore is allows for growth. You can easily get away with 20 gigabytes

The default Ubuntu install does indeed create a large root and small swap space. This just means you have your operating system, applications, settings and data all in one partition. I just think it is cleaner to separate them out.

I think with more modern machines the UEFI will be more mature and therefore the need to perform boot loader fixes will become less and less.

There is still a lot of older hardware that has UEFI that performs badly and so that is why the fixes are required.

I installed ubuntnu as your instructions and when i restart the laptop{ 2009 dell lattitude that orginally came with vista} i get a page with 4 options first one- ubunutu second -memory check third – advnce memory check and fourth windows 8 so do i need to run the boot repair in ubuntu2- i tried typing what you posted in the terminal and it asked for my password but would not let me type it3 – I tried the command prompt admin. and it said "bcdedit" is a unrecogizable function4 – I can not get internet either thru the wired ethernet or the wifi on the ethernet it ask for my password i put in and it trys to connect then ask for it again and keeps happening this wayyou did a very nice job on your instructions they was very easy to follow

tes Gary thanks for the reply i can boot into 4 choices 1-ubuntu 2 ubuntu advaned (do not know wht this is yet) 3 – memory check 4- windows 8 and i know 1,2,and 4 work. Since i wrote to you I do have the intermet working wired and wifi so i believe this was a successful journey and thanks for such a great guide

I previously used this method to create a dual boot on my toshiba satellite laptop, it worked great, thank you.

I write to you as I've encountered a problem that I cannot seem to fix (due to my own foolishness probably). I'm hope it's going to be quite easy for someone who knows what they're doing, however, I've only ever really used basic windows before now.

I'm a molecular microbiologist and work for the NHS. I installed ubuntu to be able to process Whole Genome Sequence (WGS) data of certain bacterial pathogens. Each run gives out several gigs of data from which a wealth of clinical information can be obtained. I was informed that Linux was the best OS to use for such data analysis. I originally installed ubuntu 14.04 but had several problems getting all the bioinformatics programmes to work. I then learnt about Bio-Linux (an earlier version of ubuntu but with all the necessary programmes pre-installed). I successfully loaded Bio-Linux but it never seemed very stable. As it was a new laptop with windows 8 preinstalled, i decided to start from scratch. Got rid of ubuntu, reinstalled windows and I'm hoping to install the recently released Bio-linux which is based on the more recent 14.04 ubuntu.

Long story short, I deleted the ubuntu and tried to replace it, give up, reinstalled windows, tried to get it all back to factory settings. Now when I turn my computer on I get a black screen with the title GNU GRUB version 2.02~beta2-9. And the comment beneath it that says'Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported. For the first word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists possible devices or file completions.'

I can still get back into windows by going through the bios via HDD recovery and windows works fine. What I'd like to do is start from scratch, remove this GNU Grub and reinstall the new Bio-linux and grub dual boot.

Any ideas how i can remove/uninstall this grub would be greatly appreciatedThanks againRob

I tried to write the guide last night but then all manner of things conspired to stop me. I accidentally destroyed my own bootloader and then the internet went down (ISP fault). I have fixed my bootloader and I will have another go tonight at writing a guide. My previous setup was quite a complicated one which is why I messed up my bootloader. I am sat with a plain Windows 8.1 at the moment so should be in the same position as most people starting out.

Sorry to have caused you so many problems.I've downloaded the EasyBCD programme. Only shows one boot option which is the Windows 8.1 as this is the only operating system I have on this PC at the moment. I'm tempted to choose the 'BCD backup/repair' option and under the 'BCD Management options' select the Reset BCD configuration and click the 'perform action'. However, probably best if i have some patience and wait for your advice.Thanks again for all your efforts.Rob

Hi again, ok I think I've solved it. However, I also think I owe you an apology as I didn't follow your guide to the letter. I used a disc to boot linux originally and not a USB. Sorry. As a consequence, I could only boot from disc in CSM mode (legacy mode I assume). I switched the mode from EFI to CSM and rebooted my Bio-Linux on disc, and after that the grub had vanished. I think its gone anyway.sorry again. Bloody computers eh 😉Gonna try doing the dual boot now with a USB.Thanks again and sorry againRob

Glad some good came from it all. Learning a lot myself, been/is a steap learning curve tho. Will be trying the dual boot all over again as soon as my new USB arrives. Will see how it goes. Can be a little addictive at times this computer stuff 🙂

Yesterday I installed Ubuntu 14.04 on my hp pavilion 17-e110sr notebook. Everything was OK, the system was installed properly (btw, thanks a lot for such a detailed manual). After that I decied (just for interest) to switch on Secure Boot. After that only Win 8.1 loaded. I switched Secure Boot off — the same problem. I reinstalled Ubuntu — again only Win 8.1 loaded. Do you know how to solve this problem?

Hi Gary, thanks for the article! With regard to the use of recovery drive, is it necessary to delete ubuntu partition and expand the windows partition back to the original size before using the recovery system?MA

Well, I got an issue when using wireless (directly, or via. USB tethering on my phone) while installing Ubuntu. That "tip" of not being online sure helped! It crapped on downloading GRUB and failed to install it, leading to the "grub>" prompt. My great laptop I thought was ruined until my friend suggested F2 at boot (How'd I forget that?) Luckily I had a good UEFI config "BIOS" that allowed me to swap around boot entries (but I would always need to reboot from Windows or "Save config and exit" then enter UEFI settings again to boot my "USB HDD"…).

TL;DR:If your Ubuntu install fails with a message about GRUB, stop the install, disconnect all network adapters, and start the install again (Don't forget the "Something Else" part!)

Thanks for the tips! Worked for me on Xubuntu and a laptop from Best Buy that I got on sale for 1,000 USD (no sales tax here in Oregon) that I was reinstalling Xubuntu on.

Thanks a lot… I would have been lost after step 6: Windows did not boot anymore (Error message while booting – some file not found-issue). The whole step "7. Boot Repair" makes me think: How can occasional Ubunu-websites claim that it is actually *easy* to install Ubuntu next to Windows?!? I mean, how in the world would any Linux-Newbie figure out the commands described in step 7?But anyway, after going through your useful instructions, booting Windows is now possible again. Lifesaver.

I'm trying to install Ubuntu alongside Windows 8.1. I go through most of the steps without a problem, but then when I have to restart holding down the shift key It takes me to a screen that does not show UEFI boot settings. I cannot tell you what it says because I will have to reboot to tell you. Do you know why I cannot see UEFI boot settings?

Hi Garry,I have followed you guide to the letter and still could not get the dual boot to work My machine is Acer AspireE1-570. I have reinstalled win 8.1 and attempted installing Ubuntu using live-DVD and USB.I would clean the previous Ubuntu partition before each attempt.Windows executes successfully bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path EFIubuntugrubx64.efi

Boot Repair summary info is at http://paste.ubuntu.com/7998017/. This is after I attempted to install using USB so it shows /dev/sdbEasyBCD “Vie Settings screen gives me this info( I noticed that after each re-boot in Windows adds additional “Name:HDD:” enty):+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++There are a total of 6 entries listed in the bootloader.

I guess that you have had a few attempts at this based on the number of boot entries. First piece of advice is not to use EasyBCD, it doesn't work well with Ubuntu/Mint or Grub in general. Try booting your computer and holding down the shift or F8 key. Try getting to the UEFI bootloader and then choose Ubuntu from there. I think it might work from there. If it does get back to me and I will know the fix.

Thanks so much for your great instructions; I have successfully made my computer a dual-boot machine. However, I have one lingering problem. In your directions it says to make a /home directory which will store all of my documents and other files and which will be accessible from both Windows and Linux. I followed your instructions to partition in this way, but how do I then get Windows and Linux to recognize this /home partition and save stuff there? Neither OS seems to be able to do much with it. I have an HP Envy. Thanks in advance for your help.

I will like to install Ubuntu alongside 8.1I checked your document which is really very good.My concern is that in laptop, I do not have any free partition left out. Can I shrink any of the partition say c: / D: or E:.

I have 40 GB free space in C:. Is it that Ubuntu partition have to be created in C: drive only?

been at this for a good 3-4 hours and I have reached the brink of insanity. I assign 50gb to root. it shows that it has been assigned, I then do all the other steps. next screen I get a popup that is literally a bunch of question marks aaaannnnnddd it redirects me to the installation type screen telling me that I did not define a root file system.well…. yea at the end of y rope here… help would be good.

I had a similar issue which was resolved by formatting the designated Ubuntu partition to ext4, but from within Windows — I used a third party Windows partition tool that was free (minitool or easeus). After that, Ubuntu detected the partition correctly. Not sure if that's your issue. Perhaps check askubuntu or ubuntuforums if that doesn't help.

Hi! First of all thank you for your tutorial, i have installed ubuntu uefi 14.04 successfully.But now i have a problem: i have deleted ubuntu partition and my computer doesnt boot, ir says grúa-minimal bash or something like that. I have tried with de win8 dvd, terminal and fixboot, fixmbr, but the computer is still in the minimal grub

I think it can be the bcdedit set path (instruction 8), so i wish i know how to undo that action (bcdedit /set "(bootmgr)" path…)

I used this article as a guide to installing Ubuntu 14.04 alongside Windows 8.1 on my laptop.

Many thanks for putting this together! It worked very nicely except for two things:

1) I did not turn off secure boot before I installed Ubuntu. I turned off secure boot later and I have tried running Boot Repair in Ubuntu as advised (steps 7 & 8) a couple of times but my laptop still boots directly into Windows 8.1. I have to restart it and press escape repeatedly to interrupt the boot process in order to get into Ubuntu.

2) I created the swap space partition much too big. Is there any way to adjust it without having to reinstall Ubuntu form scratch?

Gary I have an new Asus Intel i7 processor with 16GB DDR3 Ram. I installed Ubuntu 14.04 LTS on a Toshiba 10 GB USB HD every thing is working fine. I would like to know if there is a way that would give me the choice of choosing Windows 8.1 or Ubuntu. As it is now if the USB is plugged in it boots into Ubuntu, when unplugged to Windows. I don't have a choice to choose from. Before I installed Ubuntu I turned fast boot off, enabled Legacy, the Secure boot I can't turn off, but there is a setting to choose which allows Non UEFI supported systems to run so I chose it. I also enable CSM. Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

This is a superb blog/forum, but I do not believe it covers my problem: installing dual boot Win/Ubuntu on a Lenovo H520.

The Lenovo had Win 8 installed with the full UEFI, secure boot etc. I note that there have been problems with some Lenovo PCs. It is not clear if the the H520 is one of these problem machines. (http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/…ategory=Laptop).

It is clear that it would be best if both Ubuntu & Windows are booted in UEFI mode. But the H520 will not boot in UEFI mode from CD or USB. So, in the UEFI (what we used to call BIOS) screen, we disabled secure boot and all its friends and enabled CMS (compatibility mode) and disabled 'auto' (which would still have us booting into Win 8) and set CMS to 'legacy boot'

We ran the complete installation process twice, carefully checking for variants we could have missed.

Ubuntu seemed to install correctly, but on the requested reboot, we got the error message 1962 saying there was no boot disk available. In the Lenovo's Discussion Community there are lots of complaints about this 1962 error, but it seems it is a general error message and not relevant to Ubuntu. If the BIOS is left in Legacy boot mode, the PC will not boot. If put in Secure mode, it will only boot to Win 8.

"You have installed on sda10 a Linux version which is not EFI-compatible. It is probably incompatible with your computer. Please install an EFI-compatible system. For example, Linux-Secure-Remix-64bit and Ubuntu-64bit are EFI-compatible systems"

I believe Ubuntu 14.04 is now installed. The installation seems to be OK and in Gparted it looks good. But it will not boot.

Possible ways to progress:– can we convert a 'non-UEFI' Ubuntu (installed via legacy) into a UEFI installed Ubuntu?– would a 2nd hard disk allow us to install Ubuntu more easily? It would certainly allow us more freedom for experimenting without risking the Win 8 installation. It maybe that “Boot-Repair can convert a BIOS install to UEFI if you used gpt partitioning on the second drive and Ubuntu is on second drive.” – are there safe steps we can take by using a Live Ubuntu CD and trying terminal based work? I like to avoid terminal use since it is easier to get things wrong but maybe this is what we need to try.

So the essential problem is having to install Ubuntu in Legacy mode. Any ideas?

So the problem you have Peter is that Windows is installed in EFI mode and Ubuntu is installed in legacy mode. In theory if you switch to UEFI mode Windows loads and if you switch to legacy mode Ubuntu loads. It would be a pain having to keep switching that on and off. Turn on secure boot and try loading Ubuntu from the USB drive. Does it work? (you might need to hold down the shift, f8, f10 or f12) key to get to the UEFI boot menu. When you are at the menu do you see your USB drive and if so can you boot from it?

Not yet. I only just found this tutorial. I am working on my friends Win 8 Lenovo (my PCs run Ubuntu, or Ubuntu/Win XP) and I'm only there every 10 days or so. Next test will be tomorrow.

Although I have not done this tutorial on the Lenovo yet, I expect to fail in step 7. Boot-repair will refuse to do anything and will say "You have installed on sda10 a Linux version which is not EFI-compatible. It is probably incompatible with your computer. Please install an EFI-compatible system. For example, Linux-Secure-Remix-64bit and Ubuntu-64bit are EFI-compatible systems"

Well, we did not get very far through the tutorial. We got stuck in steps 4 and 5. Although the log on of my friend has Admin rights, we could not turn off Fast and Secure Boots. The options were greyed out and we could not disable them.

He will try to disable them in the UEFI interface, and continue with steps 6 onwards, but not today.

We got to step 6 but could not find out how to boot from the USB. Of course, nothing in life is easy and this is a German version of Win 8 and I do not understand German, My friend does, but between us we could not find the option to boot from the USB.

Thank you for this tutorial it worked on a toshiba p50-A-13 (UEFI boot windows Ubuntu 14.04 + 8.1) Note : I had to increase the display of the Grub menu in Ubuntu because default was set to 1 second? and do not let see the grub menu (too fast) Change in /etc/default/grubGRUB_TIMEOUT = 10 And regenerates the menu update-grub

I want a large partition of hdd(one you created of about 642000mb) to be visible in both windows and ubuntu as to store common files like music, movies, documents, codes etc. What can i do as ubuntu partitions are not visible in windows.

I had only 60 gb "available shrink space" eventhough there is more than 110 gb free space in c drive.Do you suggest me some other partition sizes or can you help how to increase that "available shrink space" ?

1.Hey!! Please suggest me the different set of partition sizes which total a 60 gb.. Consider that I don't need much space for the home partition.2.Is it really necessary to allot a partition for the swap space? because I have a RAM of 8 gb and I use ubuntu just for learning coding and editing lyx documents. For all the remaining purposes which include gaming and all , I will use windows

Hello,I installed Ubuntu 14.04.1 alongside Windows 8.1 quite following your guide (except all my partitions for Ubuntu were primary and had to create a Reserved BIOS boot area) and in the end, when BIOS was in UEFI only windows booted, and in legacy mode only Ubuntu without Grub screen. Switching back and forth from UEFI to Legacy did nothing.So I tried to reinstall, searched partition options and created a EFI partition where I installed bootloader. Then it worked, I got Grub in UEFI.Maybe it can help others.Dell Precision M3800

Hi Gary. Thanks for sharing your guide. I tried to follow it but I couldn't boot from the USB.Hold shift and restart. Got several options, I go to Use a Device. Then I get: Network, Hard Drive, EFI USB Drive, EFI DVD/CDROM and EFI Network. From these I unsuccessfully chose:1. Hard drive. I got a black screen that said: "No Boot Device Found. Press any key to reboot the machine".2. EFI USB Drive. I got a message that says: "System doesn't have any usb boot option. Please select other boot option in Boot Manager Menu". I went into BIOS and there is no option to choose to boot from USB.I have a Dell Inspiron 15 5000 with an Intel Core i7 and 16GB RAM memory.Any advice will be much appreciated.Cheers.Ivan

I'm installed both Ubuntu 14.04 and windows 8.1.. when i m starting it'll directly enters into windows .I try Subin Raju Steps and i also try EasyBCD s/w and i m entering certain cmds in cmd( bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path EFIubuntugrubx64.efi) but it makes failure… is there any way to manage windows boot settings….

I installed Ubuntu 14.04 along side of Win 8..after that I deleted all partitions that belongs to Ubuntu using windows disk management.Now the problem is I'm getting this screen when I turn the computer on… GNU GRUB version 2.02~beta2-9. And the comment beneath it that says'Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported. For the first word, TAB lists possible command completions. Anywhere else TAB lists possible devices or file completions.'grub>

How can I remove grub loader from my BIOS?

I turned on secure boot..then it is loading windows directly without any problem.I found three options (Ubuntu,ubuntu,Windows) in BIOS (by tapping F12).

I followed your instructions but I made one stupid mistake. Im running a Lenova z50 laptop with 8gb of ram.

Instead of creating a swap partition for 16gb as you advised, i did it for 16mb. the laptop is working fine and i can dual boot into both windows8 and ubuntu14.04. but i havent started to use it for anything intense and im worried that a swap of 16mb is going to give me problems later on.

I have ubuntu 14.04 installed in my PC, and now wants to install Windows 7 in dual boot mode..so that i can switch between two OS.. all i have is Windows 7 DVD with me.. how can i install it in dual boot mode..can you please provide the steps?

Hey, thanks so much for the tutorial! It was incredibly helpful. I did have some problems along the way so I thought I'd just mention it here. Initially when I was on step 2, my USB was FAT32 so I had to format my USB to NTFS before it worked. Also later on in step 6 for the partitions, you need to check off the format beside "/" and "/home." Other than that everything worked as outlined.

I have a few questions. Is there anyway to set Windows to be the default option to boot to rather than Ubuntu. Also if I wanted to remove linux later on, is there a good guide to do it?

Hi. If you can boot into Windows and Ubuntu without running boot repair don't run it. If you can't boot into Ubuntu load via the live disk and turn the internet on via the live disk. You can try turning secure boot back on and it may or may not work depending on your computer. If it doesn't work just turn it off again

Just FYI – I just dual booted ubuntu 14.04.1 with win 8.1 and did not have to go through the boot repair step (the grub menu just showed when I clicked restart after the ubuntu installation).I turned on the fast restart under system setting, enabled "fast boot" & "secure boot", disabled "launch csm" in BIOS and it still worked fine (at least so far).Not sure if they fixed the problems in the 14.04.1 (I think the update was released this July).

Thank you! Very clear procedure for me. It's been a long time since I was using Linux.Just a small remark:I'm using an Acer Aspire V with Windows 8.1 pre-installed. Secure boot switched off, but I kept on booting into Windows.

bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path EFIubuntushimx64.efi

instead of grubx64.efi, did it for me. Now I can choose during the boot.

I have installed ubuntu and done everything as told above. Now the problem is computer is booting directly to windows 8.1 but When i press F9 button at startup the boot device option appears at startup and then selecting ubuntu i do fine. But the boot menu is absent. Boot-repair didn't work nor the bcdedit. every time i have to run ubuntu i have to press f9 and run it manually…so why is this happening. Also just to let u know i have use command bcdedit /enum and there is an entry for ubuntu and timeout 10 secs but still no boot menu.

The whole UEFI boot loading is so hit and miss between makes and models it is horrendous. I will be writing a guide on how to use refind to manage UEFI partitions shortly. It is a very good tool for booting multiple operating systems.

Top man Gary! I now have a dual booted HP Envy Sleek book running Linux Mint 17 and Windows 8.1 Only hairy part of the process was the Boot Repair which gave me an error message saying: "The boot files of OS Linux Mint 17 Qiana are too far from the start of the disk" but I followed the next step to reconfigure the boot loader in Windows and after restarting the boot loader showed up with Mint as the first option so all sorted. Cheers!!

Thanks for the tutorial. I botched the installation in such a way that there no longer seems to be a partition. I used Lubuntu, and it now occupies up my entire HDD. I believe I failed to select the "something else" option when choosing where to install Lubuntu. I did however make the recovery drive, but can't find a way to restore windows with it. Is this possible, or am I stuck with only Lubuntu now?

Your guide worked flawless, Asus X200CA , Walmart special! I have been wanting to try something other then Windows. Used Redhat years ago and liked it, but never really put the time into learning the OS more. Ubuntu is nice for a noob like me. Especially working with phones. I dual boot Ubuntu on my nexus 7 as well. Took some reading , a lot and mostly bs . you nailed it on this page. No need to repair boot, set boot, etc. Installed and rebooted right to my new boot option.Thank you guy, bn7common xda

Everything worked fine for me, only that I didnt do steps 7 and 8 because my computer, after completing step 6, allowed me to choose if wanted to start Ubuntu as the first o four options, or Windows 8 as the third option. I tried both of them and they both start and work ok. I want to know if its necessary for me to do steps 7 and 8 or if putting my computer at risk by not doing them. This article was really helpful, thanks for all.

Thanks to that detailed description , Gary: this was a big help.On the weekend I was able to install ubuntu 14.04 along with Windows8 on my girlfriends new acer laptop. 99% of the description matched the work I had to do, there were just a few differences:– disabling the secure boot needed to set a boot-password first– after step 8 and the bcdedit-command I had no grub-menu on startup, Windows was always booted automatically. I had to experience a litte bit with freeBCDEdit and the bios setting with f12-menu, but in the end everything is fine.Again: very good job from you.Harro Pahl

Thank you very much for this detailed guide, even if, as it turned out, the only thing I really needed was your moral reassurance: This can be done!

When I first tried, I found the inability of the Ubuntu installation disk (USB drive) to recognize the Windows 8 already there on my new Lenovo disheartening enough to make me give it up entirely.

Then I found this guide of yours, telling me that this is normal, and that installation will work anyway – as long as you select "Something else" and not the default, of course. And it sure did.

I didn't even need your steps 7 & 8 (though it was good to know they were there). Once the Ubuntu installation was done, I just rebooted, and, lo and behold, the GRUB menu was instantly there, allowing me to select either Ubuntu or Windows 8, both options working flawlessly, no repair needed.

I guess things have improved a bit since May, even if the inability of the Ubuntu installation disk to see Windows persists. I was using Ubuntu 14.04.1, so slightly updated, and my Lenovo Y50-70 is brand new.________________________________________

One thing that I think could deserve a mention in your guide, though, is the wonderful and amazing Clonezilla (free and open-source disk copying utility by some friendly Taiwanese people).

The very first thing I did was to make a complete backup of my whole disk with Clonezilla, "disk to image", using the default options only ("beginner mode"). Per default Clonezilla will compress the disk image, and the whole thing – Windows, restore partitions, EFI system, the lot (7 GPT partitions on my disk, with some 50 GB data in all) – took up only about 24 GB. In my case I only have a 256 GB SSD, but I would imagine similar results should be had regardless of disk size, as long as it's done on a fresh factory-installed drive, as empty parts of the disk take up basically no space in the Clonezilla disk image. (They also take no time, as Clonezilla basically just skips over them.)

Clonezilla can save either locally, on a USB stick for instance, or on a networked drive. If I were to do this again, I would first get myself a 32 GB (or 64 GB) USB stick, and make two partitions on it: One small (few hundred MB) bootable with Clonezilla (needs to be formatted in FAT to work), and one big one for the disk image (basically any file system should work; the disk image is split in several files so FAT32 should work too, although I used NTFS). Everything on a single bootable USB stick.

Sorry, no. I have been meaning to do the ultimate test of my backup, but haven't got around to it.

The disk image itself looks very complete and very reassuring, containing files for every partition I had on my disk, sda1-sda7, as well as files for the MBR and various GPT stuff. But it's true value remains theoretical at this point, I'm afraid.

I have seen Clonezilla successfully recreate other disks, and I fully trusted it in the first place only after seeing reports by others having used it for restoring their Windows. But that's it.

I made it all the way to step 9 with no problems but when I rebooted my computer it went back into Windows without prompting me to select an OS. I tried running the command in step 8 in the administrator prompt again and it says it was completed successfully. I also checked to see if I had the fast start-up option unchecked in Windows, which I do.

This is a long shot, but some people seem to have gotten it to work after (in BIOS) switching first to legacy mode, then back to UEFI. Presumably this maneuver caused their computers to update some UEFI parameters. I have no idea whether it will work with yours though.

See discussion following post by Subin Raju above (16 May).

Do NOT use the EasyBCD software mentioned there, though. Gary Newell later discouraged its use (6 August).

There are other software packages for Windows that help with booting UEFI images. ReFind is one of them. I will be writing a tutorial about this shortly.

Other possible reasons why Ubuntu won't load.

1. Switch from UEFI to BIOS mode and reboot. You might find that Ubuntu now loads and not Windows. When you switch back from BIOS to UEFI the Windows will load but not Ubuntu. If this happens it means you installed Ubuntu in BIOS mode and not UEFI mode.

2. Did you install a 64 bit version of Ubuntu. That is key for booting Ubuntu alongside Windows in UEFI mode?

Thanks for the excellent tutorial. I'm using a Lenovo Erazer X510, and once Ubuntu starts the mouse keeps jumping around all over the screen and making random clicks. Do you have any ideas about how to fix this?

during the terminal steps in linux i got a error pop up telling me if the boot problems remain to indicate one url to boot.repair@gmail.com. ( some other steps like "then asked me to select some text and run it in a terminal window." did not appear) So i kept doing the other steps till end. Now it still goes straight into windows. Just the start becomes slow. I received no reply by boot.repair@gmail.com yet (can i make the made changes unmade?) …thankful for any hint regards

Switch from UEFI to BIOS mode and restart the computer. Ubuntu will now probably load but not Windows. To switch back from Ubuntu to Windows go back into the BIOS settings and switch from BIOS to UEFI. Windows will now load but not Ubuntu.

Try that and let me know how you get on.

Windows is loading more slowly now because the fast boot is turned on. Fast boot allows Windows to start faster by not loading all the drivers straight away.

Changing the boot priority didn't work for me either. However, there should be a way, during startup, to call up a boot menu where you can select the device you want to boot from. On my Lenovo, F12 will do this. (Even more convenient is actually the "Novo" button, but I believe that one is very specific to Lenovo.)

I have been trying this for a whole day. But i always get stuck on the 6th step. Like mentioned above, after i turned off secure boot, save and reboot, i ended up back in Windows. I tried holding the shift key and reboot for many times. I had an option to use a device, where i chose USB Drive (UEFI). And then it says, "The selected boot device failed". That takes me back to the Boot option Menu. I'd like to mention here that on my Boot option Menu, the Secure Boot is disabled and USB Drive in on the top of the Boot Order. I am using a Hp 14-b000sg and trying to boot Ubuntu 14.04.1 with Windows 8.1. I would be grateful, if anybody could help me here..

I need to increase the space for my windows (my c drive) so I need to shrink my linux partition. How would I go about doing this? Here is how my partitions look like from the disk management tool on windows: http://i.imgur.com/DwOzJlI.png

Hi. I have a small solution for shortening this process. Instead of installing the boot fixer. You can reload ubunto. Run update_grub in the terminal. Reboot and boom. Windows 8 should show on your grub boot loader along with ubuntu. This side steps a lot of hassle with the rebuild of the boot config. Let me know how this goes on you ends. It worked like a charm for me.

I have a Dell Inspiron 15, windows 8.1 and i turned off the secure boot as you told us to do so on the step 5.Then ended up back in Windows. But when i tried booting into Ubuntu on the USB drive it didn't start but gave me a Terminal and at the beginning of the lines there was 'grub'.How should i proceed to enter step 6?

My case was easier, though, when I rebooted after the install in step 6, the grub menu already showed up with Ubuntu on the default option and worked fine. Selecting the line for win 8.1 also worked fine. The only different thing I did was, in step 4, I unchecked the fast startup option and executed the command "powercfg.exe -h off" to disable hibernation. I guess this should not make any difference, but I didn't test without the command. My pc is a laptop Asus K45VM-VX106H.

With this guide i succesfully installed ubuntu alongside preinstalled win 8.1, after trying with many different guides. I tried it with easybcd, and only recovery i had left was from cmd fix boot commands (succesful). Dont use easybcd.Many thanks to the author.Laptop: Sony vaio s series

I successfully installed ubuntu, opting not to connect to an internet source while installing. Now when I try to connect to my wifi, it will not show up as an option. Any suggestions to fix this? Thanks

I have installed dual boot ubuntu 14.04LTS(Trusty) with Windows _8.1. Since I followed your steps carefully,it works well, Plus it pass all boot repair and GRUB tests;every thing is okay.But during boot,ubuntu is not starting with windows. Instead it directly forward to windows,with out giving optinon for ubuntu. Now am starting ubuntu the otherway round; i.e during boot, I press down the shiftkey or any boot key(f9 for my HP notbook) from thoes lists of OSs,I get ubuntu and it works well.Could you provide me some information sothat Ubuntu can boot at the sametime as window does,sothat I can select bootoption of my insterst (either Windos or Ubuntu) than going the otherway round?Thanks,﻿

I have problem at Step 6 : Install Ubuntu. I did the same procedure as prescribed and outcome is same mentioned above. However, after "Preparing to Install Ubuntu" Step, I am not shown Installation type – Choices like "Erase the disk" / " Something else". I am shown the Disk layout screen. It doesn't have show partition. etc.

I made a 75GB partition… Installed Ubuntu, its working too… The boot repair was also successful..Ive not yet entered the" bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path EFIubuntugrubx64.efi "because after the boot repair it told me to make the BIOS boot on'sda2/EFI/Ubuntu/shimx.efi' fileShould i still enter " bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path EFIubuntugrubx64.efi "or should I enter" bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path EFIubuntushimx.efi "As of now I get these options when i reboot:UbuntuAdavnced Options for UbuntuWindows UEFI bootmgfw.efiWindows boot UEFI loaderEFI/ubuntu/MokManager.efiWindows Boot Manager (on blah-blah)System setup

Excellent instructions! Thanks, mine worked great and I only had to get to step 6. Beyond that was not required as the system dual boots and works perfectly.

Now that I am past this hurdle, I have question;

I have an ASUS G75vw with a single 1TB drive. Can I install a second SSD in the other bay and "EASILY" migrate the system over to the SDD for faster booting. ((I have read a few articles online but none really cover dual boot UEFI migrations))Any input would be helpful thanks in advance

Gary, thanks a lot! I followed your tutorial up to "6. Install Ubuntu". After I restarted, the dual boot worked perfectly and I didn't have to perform any boot repair. I even could set Secure Mode ON again and the dual boot keeps working. Maybe the new UEFIs support it now?

Thank you for your tutorial. I successfully installed Ubuntu 14.04 alongside Windows 8.1. But there are some small changes in the commands for step 7 and 8.Step 7 Boot-repair1. I followed 2nd option in this page https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair— sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair— sudo apt-get update— sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair && (boot-repair &)2. In the boot repair window, select the first option and follow its steps (steps different from above, no commands input). It showed successfully repaired and remember to write down the reminder (especially the command used in Windows later)Step 8 Fix the boot loader3. Restart, it still directly log into Windows. Open administrator's command prompt, type in the command from the last page of boot repair, mine is:— bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path EFIubuntushimx64.efi4. Restart, now able to dual boot

hi Gary. thank you for the installation guide. surely, it's so much easier following your tips and guideline here. in general, both OS are working well after the installation. I don't have problem with the boot loader.(lucky me!)

only a question, my wireless network is not working after the istallation. I can only use the ethernet wire to connect. do you have any suggestion that can help me on this? somehow it has been disabled and does not allow me to turn it on. I tried several times but was not successful to enable it.

last but not least, thank you so much for sharing with us your tips and guides here. very much appreciated!

Thanks for this great tutorial!I'm following its update in http://linux.about.com/od/LinuxNewbieDesktopGuide/ss/The-Ultimate-Windows-81-And-Ubuntu-Dual-Boot-Guide.htm But I could not find a way to post comments there…I have shriked my windows partition, disabled fast boot and I am pretty sure I boot in EFI mode from the USB. However, the installed does not show an option to install alongside Windows 8.1.What could be the reason? Is there a way to avoid going through "something else" + "boot repair"?(I'm using a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro)

I believe the Yoga 2 is an ultrabook. This might need a different solution. I wonder whether there is a problem with the fact that the Yoga only has an SSD. I would need to get hold of one of these devices to be sure. I will see what I can do but I might not have a solution for a while

Hi! I would like to thank you for this thorough and accurate guide. It worked flawlessly!For the record:– windows 8.1– ubuntu 14.04– Asus F200MI did not have to perform the last step (bcdedit), as the grub boot menu appeared automatically after successfully completing the boot-repair procedure and rebooting the computer.

Thank you for your excellent excellent guidance throughout the tutorial. I recently bought a Dell Inspiron laptop myself. I followed the entire tutorial to word until the Ubuntu installation completes. I was then only given the option to restart, which I did. I had removed the pendrive to check if the GRUB would appear. And voila! it did. I then checked to see if Ubuntu worked fine. It did. Then I restarted to check if Windows worked fine. It did. Although the option was "Windows Boot Manager (on /dev/sda1)" in the GRUB.

So now I'm confused, which is a silly thing to say, because everything worked perfectly. 😛

I needn't do the steps regarding "Boot Repair" and "Fix the Boot Loader" anymore right?

Also, do we need to switch the Secured mode back to ON? And if I switch on Fast Reboot, will the GRUB disappear?

I was able to successfully install Ubuntu in my HP laptop with your steps.After the installation completed I got that multiple options screen as stated by you in the last step. However, I still decided to try the steps 8 and 9. Now, on reboot I get the Windows OS directly. The steps 8 and 9 worked opposite for me. What to do? Please help!

Hi, I wish to follow your steps to install Ubuntu alongside with my Windows 8.1 but I hope the Ubuntu is install to my secondary HDD (1TB) and not my primary SSD (128GB). So,is it possible to do so?Hope to get your reply ASAP!

It is possible but I can't give the exact instructions at the moment as I don't have a similar setup. I think you would just choose the something else option when choosing the install type and then create a root partition (/) and a swap partition on HDD. You would install the bootloader still to /dev/sda1 though

Can you send me a screenshot of your disk partitions via email (everydaylinuxuser@gmail.com). use either the Windows disk management tool to take a screenshot or from inside Ubuntu live run GParterd and take a screenshot

I am complete beginner to Ubuntu. I have already made a partition of around 100GB using windows disk management. Do I still need to backup my windows as I only have one usb drive. I made the empty partition supposing that ubuntu will be installed on that but when i tried i ended up being afraid of how to do the partition settings ? Can you help me with that ?

The backup is fairly important because if the process goes wrong you will lose everything. You could always go and get some blank DVDs and back up to those. With regards to the partitioning just make sure you choose the 100 gb partition and create a root partition for Ubuntu and a home partition for Ubuntu and then a swap partition. Alway use the space that is left out of the 100gb. So for example make a root partition of 20gb, a home partition of 82gb and a swap of 8 gb.

I still don't boot up into Ubuntu and I disabled secure boot. The tutorial says to create a bootable USB drive but not having a blank USB drive I created a bootable DVD. I don't know if these things have anything to do with each other.

First of all, thank you so much for writing this article! I just wanted to share my experience in case someone else is stuck like I was.

Everything went well up until it was time to reboot after using the boot repair and doing the bcdedit stuff. It kept automatically booting into Windows 8.1 without giving me the option for Ubuntu. After doing a bunch of trial and error stuff and poking around in the BIOS, I found a fix. When starting my computer I pressed F10 to open up the BIOS settings. I went to the boot options and found the boot order list. At the top was something along the lines of ´OS Loader´ (I can´t remember and honestly don´t feel like rebooting to check, but it was obvious and definitely has OS in it) with a little arrow next to it, showing that there was a menu underneath. So, I pressed enter to reveal it. It showed Windows and Ubuntu as possible OS boot options, with Windows of course on top. I selected Ubuntu and pressed F6 to move Ubuntu to the top, then F10 to save and quit that menu, then again to save and exit the BIOS and restart. My computer restarted and took me to the purple Grub boot menu, with both Ubuntu and Windows as options. Yay! I´m typing this from Ubuntu now. (I also noticed that my computer kept switching Secure Boot back on, but it could have been the result of some of my messing around. I´d suggest making sure secure boot is still off while you´re in there, but like I said, I could have done it myself.) Hopefully this helps anyone that might be in a situation similar to mine. Thanks again! 🙂

Hey,Thanks for the wonderful article. I think I am commenting this again. I couldn't find my previous comment. So here it goes again. My Ubuntu is succesfully installed along my wind 8.1 in my lenovo U530. I have to go to boot menu every time I need to switch from Ubuntu to windows to change the boot option from legacy to UEFI. Is there any way around it? I wanted to try the boot repair but thought it might cause some problems so didn't want to take the risk unless I am told there would be no risk. So, I am commenting here to as you if it is ok to do it or not.

Thank you Gary, if someone is trying this on a samsung laptop, the option to boot from the USB will be missing. In that case, go back to the BIOS>Advanced>FastBIOS. Disable FastBIOS and try again. Worked for me… all the best

This was really a wonderful and helpful post. I was using HP15r007tx to install Ubuntu with windows 8.1 already installed, and this allowed me to do it all on my own.

As mentioned in your post, there are few steps different depending on machine in use, and one require to use technical sense/ability to find if it, if not directly available.

But i need your help to reduce the number of options in boot menu. As it displays 7 such options and they are:1. Ubuntu2. Advanced options for Ubuntu3. Windows UEFI bootmgfw.efi4. Windows Boot UEFI loader5. EFI/ubuntu/MokManager.efi6. Windows Boot Manager (on /dev/sda2)7. System setup

Out of all these options only 1 & 6 are useful to logon to OS and rest are "I don't know files". Please suggest how to stop them from apprearing in boot screen. And I also wish to increase the delay from 10s to 15s to select an option.

In your update tutorial you mention that we need to use a usb bootable drive. does that mean i will have to plug in my flash drive every time i wan to run ubuntu? becuase what i want is to have both OS in my laptop ubuntu and windows 8.1…..please explain…Thanks

Hey Gary, I have a Dell Inspiron laptop running Windows 8.1. I created a new partition using "Shrink Volume" as you mentioned. Now, when I go into the ubuntu live session and try to Install Ubuntu this is what happens.

I choose the language, connect to my wifi and then when I click "Next", the screen where I am supposed to select "Something else" doesn't show up. Instead, it goes directly to the "current disk layout" screen. But the problem is that there are no partitions shown, it's completely blank. In "device for bootloader installation" it says "dev/sda" but when I click on that drop down, there are no options. So basically the installer is not detecting the partitions. What to do?

I used your instructions to install Ubuntu 14.04 alongside Windows 8.1 on a Lenovo S20-30 laptop with very good results. Thank you, very good instructions. I use Xubuntu 99% of the time, as I have for the last 18 months on other laptops. I recommend anyone to use Ubuntu rather than Windows.

My only problem is the USB ports do not work after the laptop is suspended then resumed. I'm looking for the solution for this.

Good post but made it little complicated. If you need to install dual os you just need to do is to free some memory from NTFS file system keep it unallocated and just install it normally see here http://www.syjj.in/2015/02/how-to-install-ubuntu-dual-boot.html . That would do, following this tutorial if u make a mistake in partitioning you will lose all your data.

When you partitioned your os you had initially 262 825 MB from which you got 127 184 MB of free space. I used also a Dell Inspiron 15 and I had 461 399 MB from which I could only get 63 162 MB free. I run on windows 8.1. Is there a specific reason why I can get so little free space (what is the recommended size for Ubuntu Linux)? Do you recommend me to dual boot my computer (with windows 8.1 and Ubuntu Linux)?

i followed everything here for dual booting ubuntu on windows 8.1 it was succesful.well here is my problem when i start my computer it shows to select OS windows or ubuntu,here the look of screen is like old interface .how can i make it look like windows interface at that point.someone who knows it kindly help me.

Recently i have installed windows 10. But when i installed ubuntu 14.04 it says UNABLE TO INITIATE WINDOWS . It will be helpful for me if u tell me how i can solve this problem. For more information i have installed windows 10 first then Ubuntu Thanks .

Hi, I followed your improved guide and have been having some problems. I didn't do the last two steps as I am afraid it will make things worse.

Whenever I start my computer now it shows a menu asking whether I want to use Ubuntu, Ubuntu(advanced), Windows Boot, or settings. Using ubuntu or ubuntu advanced makes it try and load ubuntu which loads a black screen and a depressing sound (I am guessing it is an error sound). Using the windows boot gives an error. The settings takes you to pc settings.

The only way to boot to windows is to esc out of this and exit out of GRUB, which brings up a menu which has the options; ubuntu, windows and Ubuntu. Either Ubuntu option fails, but the windows option loads windows.

Do you know how to fix this problem?Failing this do you know how to change things back so that it automatically boots into windows without all the work around?

– I have an ASUS N53SM notebook running on Windows 8.1 currently (original was Windows 7 and then I updated to W8 and W8.1)– I partioned my disk using Paragon partition manager and created 50gb ext4 disk for Ubuntu.– While installing I got an error and Ubuntu aborted installation.– I extended my D:\ drive and now I'm trying to install Ubuntu by reshrinking but shrinked disk is not in the list to install Ubuntu ( Installation Type – Image #23 of your guide)– Whatever I did the situation has not changed ( Creating a new drive for that partition, leaving as free)– Should I try ext4 file system again or should the space be shrinked from C:'\ drive?

I installed the dualboot ubuntu/windows 8 in my toshiba satellite more than a year ago.Three months ago I upgraded windows to windows 10 without any problem and dualboot continued working fine until today.It was like windows get stucked and i cant really shut it down. But after hibernating I could get into the grub and get into linux. Then I was in windows and again I cant shut it down so I longpressed the power button of the Toshiba and after that I restart directly into windows….It was strange because when I had the grub menu the first OS listed was Ubuntu and if I didnt press anything I went directly into ubuntu. Now, I can t see the grub but I get directly into windows.

I dont know how to solve it, I dont know how to view the grub again (in case this was the problem).

Hi Buddy your post did a great help to us. We are able to successfully install Ubuntu 14.x and also successfully overcome the booting issues raised after upgradation to Windows 10 in dual booting case with UEFI. We found the following observations after trouble shooting the dual booting issue with your "bcdedit /set "{bootmgr}" path EFIubuntugrubx64.efi"1) With restart option:If I restart from Ubuntu I am directly launching into Windows 10, without getting the options to choose Ubuntu / WindowsIf I restart from Windows, I am able to get the options to choose Ubuntu/Windows.2) Shutdown caseIf I shutdown from Ubuntu, it shuts down safely. But When I start my next session it directly launches into Windows.If I shutdown from Windows, It shuts down safely, but when I start my next session it gives me options to choose Ubuntu/Windows.Please let me know how can it be adressed. Thank you in advance.

Hi, I am stuck in step 6, when i hold the shift key while rebooting I don't get the option that let me boot from the USB drive into Ubuntu 14.04 live. I was wondering how to solve this? Will the rest of the steps work if I just instead boot from the USB in the BIOS instead?

But I am facing one problem. My system has 32GB SSD and I unknowing installed Ubuntu in SSD. Now Ubuntu is running totally on SSD not on HD. As result of which my windows bootloader installed in SSD lost. So I am unable to login into the windows system.

How to install my Windows bootloader in SSD again and how to install Ubuntu on HD. Please HELP me.

I followed your above steps on my Lenovo Z50 laptop with Windows 8.1. Now it boots in Ubuntu perfectly fine, but on selecting 'Windows 8 loader (/dev/sda2)' a blank screen appears. Could you guide me how to enable booting in Windows 8.1. Thanks.

Hi, I know the post is old. But, I am trying to install ubuntu 16.04 alongside my windows 10 and the installer does not detect windows during the installation process. Now, in this post, in step no.6 this was written–> In the past there used to be an option on the "Installation Type" screen to install alongside Windows.—So does that mean this option is not there anymore?. Or the installer really can't detect it?. I have turned off fast startup,fast boot, disabled secure boot, made a 20mb partition. Still that option won't come. Please help. I am trying since 2 days to install ubuntu but a little scared to try the "something else".

Hi, I know the post is old. But, I am trying to install ubuntu 16.04 alongside my windows 10 and the installer does not detect windows during the installation process. Now, in this post, in step no.6 this was written–> In the past there used to be an option on the "Installation Type" screen to install alongside Windows.—So does that mean this option is not there anymore?. Or the installer really can't detect it?. I have turned off fast startup,fast boot, disabled secure boot, made a 20mb partition. Still that option won't come. Please help. I am trying since 2 days to install ubuntu but a little scared to try the "something else".